Melancholy Bliss…
by kirayasha aka kira
Summary: Part of my Modern AU, Hiten and Byakuya find a way to have a more physical relationship, despite Hiten's battle with AIDS


Title: Melancholy Bliss…  
Fandom: Inuyasha  
Author: kira  
Chars/Pairs: Hiten/Byakuya  
Genres: romance/angst  
Warnings: none  
Word Count: 666  
Summary: Part of my Modern AU, Hiten and Byakuya find a way to have a more physical relationship, despite Hiten's battle with AIDS

Author's note: Special thanks to my beta, Jen, for looking this over and giving me a title.

888

Hiten got up out of bed and headed into the master bathroom, pulling off his condom as he did so. Standing in front of the toilet, he dropped it inside. Hiten stared at it as it lazily floated for several minutes, thinking how messed up his life had become, when he heard the soft patter of footsteps behind him. He smiled when a pair of arms wrapped around him.

"Hi-chan… Come back to bed, I'm lonely without you," Byakuya said, resting his forehead on his lover's shoulder.

"Careful," Hiten hissed when the younger man's hands dipped lower. He felt Byakuya reach around him so he could drop his own used condom into the toilet. Hiten closed his eyes as the two condoms floated together in a strange parody of yin and yang. He hated his life more than ever at that moment. Dealing with AIDS was bad enough, dealing with it and trying to keep Byakuya from contracting it was a nightmare.

"I know…" Byakuya said softly. He loved Hiten very much and he hated seeing him so sad. While he considered himself to be very privileged to see this side of his lover, he wished the former rock star would be more like his happy public persona. The way Byakuya saw it, everyone made bad decisions in their lives and some had harsher consequences than others. It was simply a fact of life, the way Hiten's ex maintained a ghostly presence in their relationship. Byakuya figured he has two choices, be happy or be miserable. Happiness won out and he wished Hiten could be happy too.

"You don't know or I wouldn't have to keep reminding you," Hiten said more harshly than he intended. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Hi-chan." Byakuya reached over and flushed the toilet.

Hiten watched as the condoms swirled down the drain. He started to cry; it was as if his life had been summed up in that moment. He felt Byakuya wrap his arms around him again, but instead of making him feel better, it just made things worse.

"Please don't cry, Hi-chan…" Byakuya said softly.

Hiten leaned against him. "I can't help it."

"It's okay…"

"We should clean up."

"Yeah…" Byakuya stepped back, letting go of his lover.

They walked over to the shower and Hiten reached inside and turned on the water, while his lover grabbed two fluffy towels off the shelf. They stepped inside and bathed in silence. Afterwards, they got out and dried off.

"Come. Let's go back to bed, Hi-chan." He grabbed his hand and gently tugged on it.

Hiten nodded. Living in fear of infecting his young lover, he would only cuddle in bed for so long, before he would get up and get dressed. It was a poor barrier at best, but he hoped it would do some good in case he had a wet dream. The fact that Byakuya never complained made him feel bad, but Hiten swallowed those feelings. No use putting more of a damper on the evening than there already was. He kissed his young lover and rolled over. Sitting up, he got out of bed, padding softly to his dresser, and took out his pajamas.

Byakuya watched him get dressed. He wished they could sleep naked, but he knew that was like asking for the moon. He got up and mirrored Hiten's actions, before meeting him back in bed. Sighing softly, Byakuya snuggled up next to his lover and even though Hiten held him close, he could feel him slipping into the sadness that accompanied the end of their love making. Unable to lighten the mood, Byakuya drifted off to sleep in the arms of his lover.

Hiten also sighed. He tried hard to push the feelings of sadness away, figuring if Byakuya could make the best of things, he would too. He knew it was not going to be easy, but least he could do was try. Giving his young lover a little squeeze, Hiten soon fell asleep…


End file.
